Ousmane Dembélé has been named as the winner of the 69th iteration of the most prestigious, and most hotly debated, award in football, the Ballon d’Or.
Unfortunately, an EFL player has never been close to winning the award. But who would emerge victorious if players from the Championship, League One and League Two were pitted against each other to win an “EFL Ballon d’Or” award for the 2024/25 campaign?
It is important to note that the Ballon d’Or is not just based on individual achievements, but also on team accolades.
With that being said, here are our picks for the top three:
Honourable mentions should go to Nathan Lowe, who likely would have won this award if he had not been recalled by Stoke City in January, and Taylor Allen, who misses out due to Walsall’s failure to gain promotion.
3. Richard Kone – Wycombe Wanderers (Now Queens Park Rangers)
In third place on this list is Ivorian sensation Richard Kone.
The striker, who was just 21 years of age during the 24/25 season, scored a remarkable 21 goals and provided five assists in 52 games in all competitions last campaign for League One side Wycombe Wanderers.
His personal story is one of remarkable progress. After first arriving in the United Kingdom to play in the Homeless World Cup, he became a prolific goalscorer in the depths of non-league before the Chairboys took a chance on him.
Kone majorly repaid that faith last season, finishing as the joint third-highest goalscorer in League One as he also won the League One Player of the Season and Young Player of the Season Awards.
Furthermore, Wycombe had a good 24/25 campaign. The Chairboys topped the league at points and ended up finishing in fifth place before suffering heartbreak in the playoff final. They also performed well in the FA Cup, reaching the Fourth Round before being knocked out by Preston North End in a penalty shootout.
What earns the frontman third place in the EFL Ballon d’Or is not just his goalscoring, but his all-round game. Kone was a constant threat, having more touches in the opposition box than any other League One striker. He also created more chances than 92.6% of his peers and had more successful dribbles than 94.7% of League One frontmen.
2. Josh Brownhill – Burnley (Now Al Shabab)
Finishing as the runner-up in the EFL Ballon d’Or is former Burnley captain Josh Brownhill.
The midfielder was the Clarets’ captain last season, and he led the club to a 100-point haul and promotion from the Championship at the first time of asking.
Being a central midfielder, Brownhill was obviously a key part of Burnley’s record-breaking defence. Scott Parker’s side smashed the Championship records for clean sheets and goals conceded. Brownhill played his part in that by winning 144 duels and providing the energy and tenacity that he typically does in the centre of the pitch.
However, it was going forward where the 29-year-old really shone. He scored a staggering 18 goals in just 42 league appearances for Burnley. What makes this more impressive is that these 18 goals came from just 9.99 xG, showing Brownhill’s consistently excellent finishing. The 29-year-old finished the campaign as the second-highest scorer in the second tier, narrowly missing out to Leeds United’s Joel Piroe.
The Englishman was also one of Burnley’s key creative sparks. He finished the campaign with six assists, and he created 49 chances during the season; only Jaidon Anthony beat him in these metrics (amongst Burnley players).
Despite being a midfielder, he finished the campaign as the Clarets’ top scorer by a fair margin. Simply put, they would not have won automatic promotion without his goalscoring prowess.
Additionally, Scott Parker’s side reached the Fifth Round of the FA Cup, which earns Brownhill slightly more credit.
1. Luke Molyneux – Doncaster Rovers
The winner of the EFL Ballon d’Or is Doncaster Rovers’ Luke Molyneux, who demonstrated undeniable quality in all areas of the pitch last season.
He finished the campaign as Doncaster’s top scorer, finding the back of the net a staggering 18 times in all competitions and 16 times in League Two. He scored more goals and had more shots than any winger in the fourth tier and his 16 League Two strikes saw him be the fifth-highest goalscorer in the division.
Molyneux was also a supreme creator last campaign. No player in League Two got more than his tally of 12 assists, and he created the second most chances of any player in the league.
The 27-year-old also proved himself to be a nifty dribbler and an excellent presser.
The Englishman was undeniably Rovers’ star player as they emerged victorious in one of the most competitive League Two title races of all time. Grant McCann’s side accumulated 84 points in their 46 league games, enough to see them top the table by four points.
It was not only in the league where Molyneux and co. thrived, but also in the FA Cup. They won four games in the competition, beating Championship side Hull City before eventual winners Crystal Palace defeated them.
Michael Cheek was the only player in the entire EFL to achieve more combined goals and assists than Molyneux last season, and the fact that these contributions helped his team to the title and on a good cup run makes Molyneux a deserving winner of the EFL Ballon d’Or.